State Grocery Chain Files For Receivership, Slims Down

A 51-year-old grocery chain in the western half of Wisconsin has announced a second round of store closings. Gordy’s Market said Wednesday it would immediately shut down stores in Spencer, Stanley, and Richland Center. That’s after the Chippewa Falls based food outlet reached an agreement with its main supplier to bring in a receiver to improve the chain’s financial numbers. The receiver, Milwaukee lawyer Michael Polsky, says small family owned grocery chains are finding it “much harder to compete” due to rapid changes in the industry — and company president Jeff Schafer says it wants to return to its roots with a smaller organization. Before filing for receivership, Gordy’s closed stores in Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, and Hayward — and Festival Foods said it would buy two Gordy’s stores in Eau Claire and one in Tomah.